From: bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk
Date: Sat Sep 14 2002 - 09:02:00 MDT
This article from the Los Angeles Times will bring you up to speed on
what is installed now and planned for the near future.
www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-fi-campus8sep08005041.story
September 8, 2002
A High School Where the Sensorship Is Pervasive
Security: Students are tracked all over campus. Many shrug it off, but
privacy advocates don't.
By P.J. HUFFSTUTTER, TIMES STAFF WRITER
SANTEE, Calif. -- As Mike Brooder pulls into the student parking lot
outside West Hills High School, wireless cameras record his face and
license plate--doing the same to every car that follows.
The cameras then track the 17-year-old senior as he walks up a concrete
path, studies his schedule, scratches his chin, waves to friends and
then wanders to class.
Nearly every move Brooder makes--and every move of his 2,300
classmates--is captured and stored in the campus' database.
Following last September's terrorist attacks and years of school
shootings, West Hills High sits on the cutting edge of the emerging
surveillance society.
> snip
The article makes the point that the surveillance is being sold on
increased security, but there is very little evidence to support any
increase in security.
For example, the recent school shooting incidents were all done by
pupils who were entitled to be on the premises. Surveillance would not
have rung any alarm bells until the shooting started. So surveillance
has no effect on criminals who don't mind being caught. This would
include suicide terrorists, of course.
Here in the UK. the initial effects on street crime of the surveillance
cameras in city centres and shopping malls seems to be wearing off as
criminals become accustomed to them. Initially street crime moved out,
away from the city centres and the cameras, so there was a displacement
effect. However criminals have now realised that if they wear a cap and
sunglasses, and all the gang wear similar loose, baggy street clothes,
then the cameras are unable to pick an individual out. The resolution
just isn't good enough. All they have to do is make sure they don't
loiter near the crime scene for the cops, racing up with sirens
screaming, to arrest them. Ideally the criminals would drive off in a
car stolen earlier, which would be dumped as soon as no longer required.
We see similar incidents daily in our newspapers and TV news.
Recent research has indicated that better street lighting reduces street
crime more than surveillance cameras and is much cheaper.
BillK
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